Harvin hopes speed, skills will set him apart

INDIANAPOLIS -- The list of Florida receivers to fall short in the NFL is long, including Jacquez Green, Reidel Anthony, Reche Caldwell, Taylor Jacobs, Travis Taylor and Chad Jackson.

Of the numerous Florida receivers taken early in recent NFL drafts, few have panned out to be pro stars, though Tampa Bay's Ike Hilliard became a quality starter.

Now come Percy Harvin and Louis Murphy, whose success as NFL players could either entice scouts and talent evaluators to Coach Urban Meyer's spread products at Florida or sour them on these unrefined receivers.

"The system they come from is the issue," said ESPN draft analyst Todd McShay. "But back in the old days when [Jabar] Gaffney and Green, the guys that played for [Steve] Spurrier in that system came out in an era when other schools were running pro styles. The learning curve was so difficult for them."

Harvin, who checked in at 5-foot-11, 194 pounds, wants to establish himself as the most explosive player in the 2009 draft. That's why he ran the 40-yard dash at the NFL Scouting Combine on Sunday. He hoped to run in the low 4.3s but was clocked officially at 4.41. That time tied for sixth fastest among wide receivers Sunday.

Harvin did not participate in position drills because of a lingering ankle injury that limits his ability to cut. However, he'll workout at Florida's Pro Day on March 18 and hopes to prove his success as the featured player in Florida's spread offense will translate to the NFL.

"At my Pro Day, when I run my routes I'll show the coaches that I can do it," Harvin said. "A lot of [teams view me] as a punt returner, kick returner, a pure receiver who can go to the backfield, running a lot of screens and reverses, but I can also be a slot man."

Harvin's speed and elusiveness in the open field have him projected as a possible mid-to-late first-round pick. But durability is a key issue Harvin must address because he has battled neck, hamstring and ankle injuries during his three seasons with the Gators. He also had surgery to shave abnormal bone growth off his heel.

He spent most of Friday undergoing medical tests by NFL team doctors that must determine if he can physically hold up for an entire NFL season.

"I had a lot of MRIs to check up on the fracture and my heel surgery, but everything was cleared," said Harvin, who bench-pressed 225 pounds 20 times. "A lot of my injuries came from playing running back. At a point I was averaging 15 to 20 carries a game as a receiver."

McShay sees Harvin and Murphy having less of a hurdle to overcome because the spread offense Florida runs is becoming the norm in college football, which means just about every other wideout in this deep receiver draft will experience similar troubles.

"It usually takes a full year for wide receivers to figure it out on the NFL level, and another for them to become productive," McShay said.

Andre Caldwell, who played under Meyer at Florida, had a decent finish in Cincinnati in his rookie season. He started four of the seven games he played late in the season, showing that Gators can make the transition. Whether that helps Harvin in the eyes of pro personnel directors remains to be seen.

"Our offense may not be the best, but it does show our playmaking ability," said Harvin, who averaged 11.4 yards per touch rushing and receiving this season. "Of course, [the spread] don't show our route running [skills] as much as need be. But Andre Caldwell at Cincinnati proved we can be [NFL] receivers. . . . I'm not worried about that at all."

Murphy's 4.43 40 time proved he's also a blazer. But their speed has never been the issue. It's their route-running ability that's the hurdle to most talent evaluators.

"They don't run a complete route team, and not a lot of college programs do that anymore to be honest with you," said Mike Mayock, the NFL Network's lead draft analyst. "What you are getting with Percy Harvin and Louis Murphy are guys who haven't run NFL-type routes. You take all the speed and explosion and ask how does that translate to an NFL offense."

Murphy, who is projected as an early second-day prospect, is motivated to make sure it does.

"We're going to end it," he said, referring to Florida's string of lackluster pro receivers. "There hadn't been two national championships in three years at Florida yet either."